


Moving

by KirkyPet



Series: The Shipping Forecast [3]
Category: Mad Max Series (Movies), Mad Max: Fury Road
Genre: Everyone ships them, F/M, Mutual Pining, Nightmares, Non-Graphic Smut, Resolved Sexual Tension, Road Trips, Unresolved Sexual Tension, a river in Egypt, implied vehicular sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-27
Updated: 2017-02-27
Packaged: 2018-09-27 07:50:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9983915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KirkyPet/pseuds/KirkyPet
Summary: The Road is calling. Who will answer first?





	

**Author's Note:**

> Background:  
> Furiosa had managed to avoid being kept as a Wife by claiming that her missing arm was a birth defect...  
> ...with the help of Giddy and Lyra, a Wife who may or may not be Furiosa's older self from an alternative reality where she hadn't lost her arm...I may have gone off on a tangent here slightly. Or should that be 'out on a limb'? (oh dear).  
> Anyway, Slipping through the cracks' http://archiveofourown.org/works/9541760  
> and 'Furiosa Incognita' http://archiveofourown.org/works/9639266  
> will tell you all you need to know.  
> What the hell, just read the previous series. It's a 9-part so won't take long http://archiveofourown.org/series/581749
> 
> This chapter was brought to you by Supergrass  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRtHGQ63XjY

_Moving, just keep moving_

_'Til I don't know what's sane_

_I've been moving so long_

_The days all feel the same_

_Moving, just keep moving_

_Well, I don't know why to stay_

_No ties to bind me_

_No reasons to remain_

_(Supergrass)_

 

Previously...

Furiosa had always been aware, at least since her capture, that it didn't pay to over-think things. She knew that survival and introspection didn't go hand in hand. 

Which is why it was difficult to adapt after their return to the Citadel. Years of hiding and paranoia, planning and tension. Three days of frantic chase across the Wasteland and back. Now just...relative safety. It wasn't all peachy, by anybody's standards. There were still threats, both internal and external, still shortages, still a need to keep busy. But it was comparatively peaceful.

Now she had time to think. Time to mull over everything she'd done over the years, everything that had been done to her, everything she'd lost. And she _really, really didn't want to_. She was afraid she'd never stop. So that was why she needed to keep moving – new challenges, new dangers. One thing she was glad of...she could be herself, if she could remember who that was. No, she'd never forgotten. Her mother's dying breath had charged her never to forget that.

*****

Later...

It's been three months since Max came back. She had been surprised to see him again, but it made a whole world of sense when she thought about it. His car was barely holding together. It had been blown up and partially crushed so it wasn't exactly a repair job for the Wasteland. He needed allies, tools, parts and a safe place to work. Once he'd reconciled himself to the idea of the Citadel, it would have been the only sensible thing to do. Even a Fool knew how to survive.

But his car was in good shape by now. Between his own near-obsessive repairs and the tender care of the Boys who were now devoted to Max, the Interceptor couldn't have had a better chance for recovery. It'd never be quite right after its tussle with the War Party, but it was in full working order. And yet he was still here.

It was making her question her own state of mind. She'd been on the very brink of packing up a bike and leaving months ago. The new Citadel was beyond what she'd ever imagined it could be. Reason being, she'd always just banked on getting the hell out and never looking back. This new post-Joe Citadel just _didn't feel real_. After she'd recovered from her injuries, she'd had plenty to do. But there was an element of detachment to _that_ as well. The girls had taken to running the place like ducks to water and, with the guidance of Phyllis and Althea, she had less responsibility than at any other time in her life. The presence of her Vuvalini ought to have kept her grounded – to have given her a sense of home – but it wasn't quite enough. The urge to move on and leave it all behind kept gnawing away at her.

She was scouting out a route on the very day he came back. Common sense said to go West. They'd seen what lay to the East and it offered no hope. So why was she setting out on the road once travelled? _Just a last look_ , she told herself. A look for what, though?

And there it was – a signal from the dunes. That was months ago. She hadn't thought about leaving since.

*

Maybe he was going to give 'home' a try. And if he could do that, then so could she. Maybe his presence was simply distracting her from this eternal angst. Good to have an outside influence to provide a bit of context, that sort of thing. If nothing else, the constant nagging question ' _when would he go?' w_ as keeping her on her toes.

He was only a distraction, though... her time at the Citadel had come to an end. She had destroyed the old regime. She didn't see a role for herself in building the new one. There were others better fitted for that. Her work here was done. She destroyed, she didn't _create_...

*****

Even later...

_Max is getting fidgety. It's not surprising. Not half a year ago he was a walking haystack of tangled hair and beard, talking only in grunts to the voices in his head. Now he was trying to live a normal life. True, the Citadel could only be classified as normal under very specific criteria. But he was sharing space with, eating with and (in his own way) talking with other people. Who weren't actively trying to kill him. It was progress. But it was very, very hard. Every morning he'd wake with a jolt. Every encounter with another human being, especially a War Boy, had him braced to lash out. Every night he'd struggle not to plan his flight in the morning. On the upside, however, he'd never expected to stick it this long. He'd just planned to drop off the salvage, report what he'd seen and leave. Yeah right. That old story. He'd had no choice in the matter. Besides, he couldn't leave._

_Because she was the only reason he was still there._

*

Max is getting restless. It's not surprising. Not long ago he was strapped to the front of Nux's car, getting drained of his lifeblood. Now he was on nodding terms with the very people who'd captured him. _Why was he still here?_  she wondered. He shouldn't want to be here. But what was becoming very, very clear to her was that, without him around...well, she'd have no reason to stay. She'd managed alright before he came back. She hadn't expected to see him again. She'd only known him a couple of days. Yeah, so they could do with a word and a glance what would take fifty words with another person. Big deal. Her mother had conceived a child with a man she'd only known three days, and she hadn't sat around pining. Not visibly, anyway.

It's not like she'd been out looking for him.

But now she'd had him around for months, it would be...hard...if he went off into the Wasteland again. She wouldn't be able to stick around after that. Because he was the only reason she was still there.

*

A little after that...

One morning, she summoned up courage to ask. "You want to go, don't you?"

"Me? No! Well...kind of. Yes and no. Mainly no."

She looked at him quizzically. She wondered where exactly the conflict lay. She had her own reasons for wanting to leave, but she wished she knew what his motivations were. She'd have to take action.

"Let's take a drive. You haven't tested her out properly yet" nodding to the Interceptor.

He hadn't, though he was dying to. He was afraid he'd keep on driving, go back to his old existence. He didn't want that. But he wouldn't if she was there with him. He nodded.

"Yeah. That'd be good."

*

"It's just a test drive. We'll be back before nightfall."

"That what the kids are calling it these days?" Althea nudged Phyllis, who sniggered. Furiosa raised her eyebrows and shook her head. It was a popular game at the moment – innuendo bingo about her sex life. _Hah._ If only they knew. The girls' imaginations were working overtime, and the older women were playing now. Furiosa stalked off, muttering to herself.

"Did you catch that, girl?" Phyllis asked Cheedo. "My ears aren't as good as they used to be."

Cheedo made a noncommittal noise. She'd definitely heard Furiosa say ' _Chance would be a fine thing'_ but felt it would be unsporting to say so.

"Our Fury's picked up a bit since the boy came back. He's a good distraction." The Vuvalini sat at a table, cleaning their guns.

"Distraction? From what?" asked Cheedo.

"She's got roaming ways. She's only stayed in the same place for twenty years because she had to. Seems she takes after her dad in that respect. Mary was more of a homebird."

Cheedo was dismayed. She'd seen that Furiosa was out of sorts since she was sound enough to get around again. But she'd just put that down to her missing Max. That suited Cheedo's romantic tendencies. "But she can't go! We're getting the place running so nicely, and it's all because of her."

"She set the ball rolling, sure, but it's you girls that are running the show now. Besides, she's not happy. At least, she certainly wasn't a few months ago. And I'm not even sure she is now."

*

They were all in the pump room after Furiosa and Max's departure. Cheedo was eagerly scanning the horizon. " _I see them!_ " She called out. "Wait, they've stopped."

"Leave them alone, Cheedo!" cried Capable. "Bit of privacy..."

"Ah, it's not broken down already, is it?" wailed Toast, who'd helped with the repair.

"No, they're moving again. What happened? I looked away."

Phyllis was peering through Toast's eyeglass. "Hell's bells. It must be love. He's letting her drive." They all looked suitably impressed, apart from Dag who looked up and asked, "What's the big deal about that?" She didn't get out of the gardens much.

*

It felt so much freer out on the road. It seemed that the walls of the Citadel had the same effect on both of them. Out here they could floor it, really test out the engine. It was exhilarating. The horizon stretched out on all sides, offering so many choices. Some people would find it overwhelming, but Furiosa felt she could just let her mind expand to fill it all. No pressure, no boundaries. No-one chasing them. And Max belonged on the road. He stood taller, his shoulders losing that hunched, defensive look he had when he was around people.

She'd driven them onto the edge of a rocky promontory. They got out and sat on the bonnet, taking in the expanse of the horizon.

"I was about to leave...when you came back."

He looked up suddenly. "Where?" he asked.

"Not sure...West, probably."

"For how long?"

She shrugged.

"Glad I came back when I did, then" he smiled weakly.

"You could have come looking for me" she joked.

"It's a big Wasteland. Might never have found you."

So, returning to the Citadel to find her gone would have been a disappointment? This was news. Not like she hadn't _hoped_ , but it was different to hear him say it. Or imply it, anyway. This was Max, after all.

"So why didn't you go?" he asked.

"Ran into you on the road" she smiled a little. "Would've been rude to run off after that. But it's better out here, right? Can't stick around forever."

He looked at her intently, apprehensively.

"So I'm thinking..." she continued, staring determinedly at the horizon. "How would it be it, next time...and I know you said you go your own way, but..."

"But that was then..." he interrupted.

"And this is now" she agreed, turning towards him. "So...shall we go together?"

Max didn't say anything, just leaned towards her to rest his forehead against hers, as her hand touched the back of his head. They stayed like that for a few seconds, gazes locked. Then, as his eyelids dropped a little, he shifted his head slightly and brushed his lips against hers...just a little. Some internal organ, whether her heart or her stomach, flipped a somersault at this point. _'Am I dreaming?' s_ he thought. _Doesn't matter_. She kissed him back...just a little. Then a lot.

*

When they finally came back up for air, Furiosa was, for once, lost for words. "Glad you came back...missed you" she managed. "Wait...was that a yes?" she added, with a sudden fear that she'd presumed too much.

Max blinked bemusedly. He was equally stunned by this development. He'd risked everything by one rash act and was dizzy at the outcome. He nodded. "Definitely...yes." She let out a deep breath, and looked very, very glad. Max looked at her wonderingly. "Never thought you'd..." he mumbled, waving a hand helplessly. _What would she want with a fucked-up feral like him?_ "Never dreamed..." He stopped, with a faint smile, at a memory. "No, that's not true..."

She tilted her head and looked into his face. He couldn't quite meet her eye. "You've been dreaming?" she asked. He shrugged slightly and went a very faint shade of pink. _That kind of dream then?_ she wondered, smiling to herself. _Worth a try.._. She leaned in a whispered in his ear, inhaling his scent, "Show me...?"

*

In a twist of fortune, the moon was shining full, and Furiosa stood before him as he sat on the Interceptor. And so, Max proceeded to enact the moonlit garage scene of his dream, right up to the point of _'and then I woke up'_. Furiosa was just as disappointed at the abrupt conclusion as he could have hoped. She closed her eyes and sighed into his hair. "The play is played out. Shame. Got any more?" she smiled down at him as he sat with his hands on her thighs.

"Well..." he looked thoughtful. "You'd be surprised..."

*

As night fell over the Wasteland, Phyllis scanned the horizon briefly. "Hope they're alright out there."

Althea nudged her. "What did I say? They won't be back tonight? They're fine. Just enjoying being on the road."

*

So this was how Furiosa found herself sprawled limply on the bonnet of the Interceptor, getting her breath back, thigh draped over Max's shoulder and trousers tangled round her boots. Max disentangled himself and joined her, rubbing some sensation back into his jaw. She couldn't blame him for looking a little smug, she thought, as she'd almost certainly yelled his name to the empty desert sky. But, more pertinently, she was concerned that she'd twisted his head clean off by her reaction at the finish. But, no, he seemed to be undamaged.

"I never thought it'd be like that" she gasped, gazing up at the stars. "And I've thought about it a lot." She turned over to face him. " _About you...a lot_ " she added. She sighed, her eyes closed and her head rested on his arm. Her breathing deepened, all was quiet. Then she heard him let out a long shuddering sigh.

"You thought I was asleep there, didn't you?" She mumbled, smiling into his shoulder. He made a _Mmm-hmm_ noise into her ruffled hair. "Well, no chance. It's your turn now." She raised herself onto her stump and kissed him, running her hand down his shirt front 'til she found what she was looking for. She'd learned a lot from her long years of observation in the War Boys barracks, and was keen to try it out. Max seemed to appreciate it.

*

They slept through the short night on the bonnet of the car. Not comfortable, certainly, but not bad compared to War Boy bunks. She would have thought nothing of it, half a lifetime ago. But all that time in Imperator quarters had evidently made her soft.

She'd woken with what felt like a jolt, but clearly not violent to wake Max. He was still slumbering, arm over her waist. She lay still and tried to regulate her breathing, regain her calm. It was alright. She was under the stars, Joe was dead, there was no Vault. The dream was confused, rapidly fading, but left that sick feeling of horror.

_She'd been found out. They were taking her back. All those years of hiding had come to nothing._

It was no good. As the sky began to glow in the east, she carefully disentangled herself from his arms and walked silently away. A few minutes pacing up and down helped to wash away the nausea, the sense of peril. She was free, everything had changed. The old rules didn't apply any more. She didn't have to hide, be afraid. No shackles, no cages, mental or otherwise. For either of them.

A last deep breath and she turned back to the car. He was sitting there, the new day's sun casting rays on his face. Watching her, but giving her the space she needed. He didn't know, but she felt he understood enough not to misconstrue her actions.

*

"That was new, you know?" She told him. "I've never...it never felt safe before, not with Joe around. Wasn't going back to the Vault."

"And now? Safer?"

"With you?" she smiled. "Safer, yes, but more dangerous."

 _You and me both_ , he thought, as they drove back to the Citadel.


End file.
